A Joker of Death
by Jermaine94
Summary: It is done. Ywach is dead, but, he doesn't go quietly. In a desperate strike, he takes Ichigo with him, the power he used unable to be rejected. Accepting his fate, Ichigo finds himself reborn at the hands of Heavens Strongest, and in a world where he has a chance to, once again, be the Hero he was meant to be.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi there folks! Well…I just found this concept lying around in storage on one of my hard-drives, and decided it would be fun to begin this stream! As usual, it's a Bleach X Highschool DxD crossover, but different! You see…it'll actually be a proper X-over! As in…crossing dimensions! Yeah…I'm writing those now…oh well…I thought it would be fun to take this story and meld it with my final Shinigami King story! So enjoy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own anything…unfortunately…**_

 _ **Chapter 1: The Will of God (A rather angry one at that)**_

Ichigo watched as Ywach was slowly breaking apart, the power of the Soul King leaving his body. He could feel the weariness from the battle rushing up to him, his body feeling heavy, the many wounds he had also catching up to him. He stumbled slightly, and as he did, he failed to see the arm of the mad-man shoot out and grab him by the throat.

"Ghk!" There wasn't much force behind it, but the grip was still firm. Ywach opened his eyes, probably for the last time. Sensing the danger behind it, Ichigo lifted his Ban-Kai, Tensa Zangetsu, high above his head, ready to bring it down and take the mans head off. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Uryu reacting as well, bow being drawn and an arrow already on the way. He also felt the reiatsu of Aizen beginning to rise, obviously sensing that Ywach still had one last trick up his sleeve.

"KUROSAKI! I WON'T LET THIS BE THE END! KUROSAKI! IF I AM TO LEAVE THIS WORLD BEHIND, A DISGRACE, A BLIGHT, THEN…I WILL BE TAKING YOU WITH ME!" Ichigo brought the blade down, but the final dredges of Ywach's power still remained tied to the Soul King, and the blade landed harmlessly on the mans neck. Grunting in pain, Ichigo lashed out with a foot, before he was aided by Uryu, whose first arrow tore the Quincy Emperors arm apart. The subsequent intervention of Aizen meant that Ichigo was now free from Ywach, whose silent scream faded, never to be heard again. Sighing, Ichigo fell back onto his haunches, and glanced up at the former Captain turned traitor.

"Thanks for the save there, Aizen. If I had gotten caught up in whatever he was planning, I don't think I have the power enough to have fought him off." The traitor looked down at him, a creepy smile on his face, made even worse by the fact that he only had one eye visible.

"You are most welcome, Ichigo. I doubt that Ywach had sufficient power left to mount a final offensive, but nonetheless, it was not a risk I wanted to take. Ichigo, I too, wanted to thank you. You had no need to ally yourself with me in this battle, but you did so without hesitation, so, th- ICHIGO!" The shout of his name made him stretch his senses out, but there wasn't any need, because once he looked down, he could easily see the cause for Aizen's distress. A giant arrow was sticking out of his chest, taking a piece of his heart and his lungs. He felt blood dribble from his lips, and his vision began to darken. He felt his arm get yanked upwards, and the arrow was shattered, blood now flowing freely from the gaping hole in his chest.

"ICHIGO!" He faintly heard the shout of his name. But he could see the outline of Uryu running towards him, his face not really visible, but the fear and panic easily distinguishable. He dared not speak, for fear of loosing more of his crimson lifeblood, but that wasn't a worry as he was losing buckets of it from his chest. He reached out with a hand, a hand soaked in blood, trying to grasp the outstretched hand of his cousin.

' _I didn't even get to tell him…that we are family…he was probably searching…for me…all this time…"_ His thoughts even came in ragged pants.

"Hold on, Ichigo! I'm going to get you to that woman! We are going to be moving quickly, but the risk of moving slowly far outweighs the needs. Quincy, I leave the Lieutenant of Squad 6 in your care." Not really wanting to agree to what Aizen was saying, Uryu pursed his lips, but still nodded his head in acceptance.

"Aizen. Get him to Orihime, quickly." A nod from Aizen was all that Uryu got before the man carrying his best friend simply vanished from his sight. He clenched his fists, drawing blood. He let out a pained scream into the night, as he felt deep down his 'brother' fade further and further away.

"Oy! Ishida! What's up? Where's Ichigo? And Aizen? Not that I want to, I have to thank him for lending a hand back there. Hey, Ishida? What happened?" The Quincy turned his head to face Renji, who had stumbled from wherever it was that Ywach flung him to. The Lieutenant was shocked when he saw the tear stained face of the usually stoic and proud Quincy.

"Ichigo…he…might die." Renji felt his heart stop at that. He felt the blood drain from his face.

' _Ichigo…no! Not you! Please…never you…'_ Renji walked over to Uryu as the he slumped down to his knees, he head falling into his hands, and his sobs clearly audible in the still night.

XX

Orihime was worried. It had been a couple hours since Ichigo and Renji left to fight Ywach in Soul Society after he initially thrashed them in the Palace. Her wounds had been healed by Rukia, who was waiting patiently, but Orihime could see the worry she was so desperately trying to hide. She stood up and walked over to the petite woman, who looked up at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, Rukia-chan! Kurosaki-kun and Abarai-kun are definitely going to win! And then they are going to come back and make us happy!" Rukia choked on nothing when Orihime said that, and instantly began spurting denials.

"Inoue! You know Ichigo and I aren't like that! I mean…Renji and I! Yeah! Please don't think that anything is going on between us! I like your joke, Inoue! Haha!" her laughter faded away and the throne room went silent once again. "Is it that obvious?" Now it was Orihime's turn to start laughing.

"You mean you and Abarai-kun? Of course! I always knew you were going to end up together! I believe it's called destiny!" She sat next to Rukia, and gave her a beaming smile. "Who took the first step? You? Or Abarai-kun?" Rukia giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Renji of course! You should have seen him! He stormed into Nii-sama's office and straight up to his desk, before he bowed the deepest bow I've ever seen him do, and ask for my brothers permission to court me. I felt truly special at that moment, that the proud and powerful Abarai Renji would bow his head for me. It was even more shocking when Nii-sama actually agreed! Renji almost had a fit." Both girls broke out into giggles, the darkness momentarily lifted. It came crashing back down onto them almost instantly, but the reiatsu they felt was one they never wanted to feel again. It belonged to Sosuke Aizen. They looked around fearfully for the traitor Captain, and almost screamed when he materialized in front of them, his right arm soaked in blood, and the front of his shirt in a similar state. He looked down at Orihime, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"Woman, come, I need your help. Ichigo…he is seriously injured. In fact, he is at deaths door. Follow me." He turned around and the girls saw that the back of his shirt was also drenched in blood. Orihime stood, her face set in a determined mask, whilst her heart was racing a thousand miles an hour. Rukia tentatively stood too, her body trying to betray her at the worst moment. She had to hurry though as Orihime strode off after Aizen, who was waiting for her.

Once she caught up to him, he moved aside and Orihime felt her body go numb. Lying before her, was a deathly pale Ichigo, surrounded by a pool of blood from the hole in his chest. He turned his head weakly to look at her, his hand numbly reaching out, grasping at nothing. He frowned slightly in his stupor, and continued to reach out for him. Orihime dropped to her knees and took his hand, her hairpins glowing and forming the healing dome above them, her will to keep him with them stronger than ever.

Ichigo felt her warm hands take his, and he felt the tension of not being able to touch her fade away into blissful nothingness. _'Orihime…oh how…I love you…'_ He didn't have the strength to finish his thoughts, he was just so tired. He watched on, as Orihime began to repeat his name over and over again, becoming a sort of mantra for her. The green glow of Kido appeared from underneath them, causing Rukia to look at Aizen, who had his hands clapped together, a look of concentration on his face. Her words came out weakly.

"What…are you…doing?" She flinched when the man lay his eye on her.

"Hoping to take him back down to Soul Society, when other healers can help this woman treat Ichigo. He is…after all…my only equal." Rukia cocked her head to the side in confusion.

' _What the hell was that? Is Aizen actually…worried about someone who isn't himself?'_ It didn't take long for Aizen to complete his spell, and the three suddenly found themselves in Soul Society once again, with the eyes of every Shinigami falling upon Orihime and Ichigo. Shocked gasps and cries filled the air, and the more experience Shinigami began calling for the Captains, getting over their shock much faster.

It didn't take long for Isane of Squad 4 and the Third Seat to appear, and Orihime made an opening for them in the healing barrier. The two healers grimaced when they saw the condition Ichigo was in, but they got to work quickly. Aizen watched on quietly. As powerful as he was, there was nothing he could do at this moment. He inwardly cursed himself for his gargantuan power. He stepped back when a couple Captains appeared before him, blades drawn, but surprisingly, Rukia stepped between them.

"Please wait! Nii-sama, Hitsugaya-Taicho! Aizen actually brought Ichigo to Orihime! He asked her to save him!" Aizen looked down at the petite woman, expertly hiding his emotions, as usual.

' _Thank you, Kuchiki Rukia, but there is nothing you can say that will make them regard me in a different light. I applaud your bravery though, young one. There aren't many who would stand before me like you.'_ He suppressed his power to the maximum, and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to face him.

"Kuchiki Rukia, I thank you. But there is no need. The bargain was to defeat Ywach, and I have aided Ichigo in doing so, and I did get to stretch my legs and have a breath of fresh air. Sou-Taicho, I have upheld my end, and you have upheld yours, I do believe it is time for me to return to my chair." He walked over and allowed himself to be strapped into the chair, but before he was taken away, he spoke up. "All I ask…is that you inform me of his condition." Kyoraku nodded, and motioned for him to be taken away. He turned back to Ichigo, who was still lying on the ground, his injury seeming to stay as it was.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He looked up to see Shiba Isshin struggling to get through the crowd of Shinigami to be by his sons side. He smiled inwardly as the mans antics never seemed to change, and thanked whoever was listening that Isshin was safe, at least. He clapped his hands.

"Let the man through. Let him be by his sons side." At once, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, allowing Isshin a clear path to Ichigo, which he immediately stormed down, his reiatsu flaring out, full of worry, concern, and fear. Following close behind, were two people that the Sou-Taicho never expected to see.

' _Kurosaki Karin, and Kurosaki Yuzu. I am…'_ He never finished his sentence, as a scream tore from the younger sisters lips as soon as she saw Ichigo lying on the ground. Isshin reached down and took the girls into his arms, both of them trying to break free, screaming his name, screaming for their older brother. Their 'Number One Guardian'. Looking around Kyoraku saw many Shinigami wiping away tears, many not ashamed to openly cry at the display.

XX

He could hear something. His name. Someone was calling out for him. He cracked a wry smile. The sense of Deja-vu too strong to not be laughing at. He felt it from deep inside, a warmth that seemed to want to swallow him whole. His faded vision seemed to clear for a second, and a voice reached his mind.

" _ **It's not much, King. It's all I have left to give. I want to thank you though, for finally accepting me as your Zanpaktou, as your partner. Thank you, Ichigo. Goodbye."**_ He heard the shattering of his blade, and the startled gasps that came along with it, many Captains striding forwards to begin assisting with the healing in any way possible, either by getting down on their knees and actually heal, or lend their reiatsu to the healers. Looking at Orihime, he reached up and cupped her cheek with a bloodied hand, the woman stiffening at his touch, a glimmer of hope in her eyes at the movement.

"Inoue…no…Orihime. Thank you. For staying by my side during the battle with Ywach. I remember the words you said to me, and I will carry them on to my next life. Ahh, Zangetsu, you gave me what little strength you had left to give me this chance. I will not squander it, Partner." He reached up to his lips and cleared the blood from them, before pulling Orihime down and kissing her. To say people were shocked was an understatement. Isshin nearly fainted, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Breaking the kiss, he looked into her eyes, never breaking contact. Her face took barely a second to explode into a blush so strong that it resembled his namesake.

"Kurosaki-kun! What? Huh? WHAT?!" She waved her hands frantically in front of her face, trying to hid it from the onlookers, but the laughter from Ichigo was infectious, and many began laughing too.

"I love you, Orihime. No…I was never dense. I never wanted to hurt any of you. So I kept my feeling close to my heart, and never let anything slip. But, it doesn't seem like I can do that now, huh? Gahk!" He began coughing, blood once again bubbling from his lips. "Shit…I thought I had more time." He turned to face Isshin and his sisters. Face morphing to resemble his former features, he forced himself to stand, much to the horrors of those healing him. Even though he was mortally wounded, he was still far stronger than any of them. He stood before the barrier, lifted his hand, and easily shattered the construct with a flick of his wrist. Orihime felt her body go numb, and her own vision started to blur. Noticing this, Ichigo turned to face her. "Goodbye, Orihime." She blacked out shortly after, falling into the arms of Isane, who stared fearfully at Ichigo as he made his way over to his family.

Stopping before them, he fell to his knees and coughed violently, blood dripping past his fingers. Groaning, he forced himself to sit up, before concentrating really hard on something. Everyone watched silently as his clothes morphed and fixed themselves, all traces of blood gone, as he was pretty sure that he hand no more blood left to bleed. Looking up, he held his arms out, and they were instantly occupied by his crying sisters.

"Yuzu, Karin, my precious sisters. My life. I'm sorry, but I think I bit off more than I could chew with this one." He wrapped his arms around them, pulling the girls closer to him, his face being buried in their hair. When he looked up at his father, he noticed that they were actually alone, the field they were in clear of any Shinigami but them. Isshin gave him a sad smile.

"Kyoraku gave us some privacy. No one can see us." Nodding his head, Ichigo returned his focus to his sisters.

"I love you. The both of you. Hey, I want you to promise me something?" He heard 'yes' coming from both girls through tears and sobs. "Don't hate them. It wasn't their fault. They simply couldn't fight back, and I wasn't about to let my friends die when I could have done something about it." Karin pushed herself back from Ichigo, whereas Yuzu stayed as close as she possibly could.

"What do you mean, Ichi-nii?! How could we not hate them! If it weren't for them, you wouldn't…" She trailed off, before attempting to hold back more tears, and failing spectacularly. She broke down into a sobbing mess, not having cried as such since their mother died. Isshin stood and made his way over to his children. He knelt beside Karin, who turned and threw herself at him, her pleading making it's way to his ears through her cries.

"Daddy! Please! Do something! Onii-chan…Ichi Onii-chan…Daddy!" Isshin felt himself break inside. She hadn't called him 'Daddy' in years. Looking at Ichigo, and seeing the peace his sons eyes, he felt the weight of the world bear down on his shoulders, and he couldn't stop his own tears from falling.

"Yuzu, I can't…hold on to you…anymore…" Isshin felt his head snap up, and he felt his soul crack when Ichigo slumped back slightly, his arms falling uselessly to his sides. Yuzu, however, seemed to hold him tighter.

"Then…I'll hold onto you…" He smiled bitterly, before the strength in his neck failed him and his head slumped onto her shoulder. "You…don't have…to worry…Onii-chan…I'll make curry tonight! Your favourite…so you get better…okay?" She didn't get a response, but a chuckled rippled through his body. She let go and lifted his head with her small hands. He gave her a smile.

"Sure…save…me…a…" She watched as the light faded from his eyes, his body becoming heavier and heavier, but he managed to get one last thing out.

"Dad…there…are…letters…" Isshin nodded. Ichigo smiled. He sure felt good. The warmth was spreading throughout his entire body, he felt a peace he never thought he'd be able to feel. He felt…accomplished.

"ONII-CHAN!" Both Karin and Yuzu screamed out for him. Isshin reached out and pulled Yuzu into his chest, no longer able to hold back the river of tears that came from his eyes. He watched as the sisters reached out, trying to break free from his grasp, but he held firm, and he watched his son, his eldest boy, the fine young man he raised, fade away into spirit particles, leaving only a sealed katana where he once rested. He grit his teeth, and he felt the dam break. He screamed into the sky as his son finally left this world. Yuzu had passed out from the strain and Karin cried into his chest. The breaking of the barrier did not make the father stop. He just held onto his daughters for dear life. And he cried.

XX

Kyoraku felt him disappear. He felt the reiatsu of the young Hero vanish. Even he, a grizzled titan of nearly a millennia, couldn't help but shed a tear when the barrier finally broke, and the broken scream of a father rang out through the clearing. Renji and Uryu had arrived from the battlefield just before, accompanied by Chad and Ganju. Kisuke and Yoruichi were there too, along with Kukaku, who had made her way to help. She saw Isshin kneeling before a sealed katana, with two girls held firmly in his arms. She stumbled over to Yoruichi, who was openly crying alongside Kisuke, the shopkeeper throwing his hat to the side.

"Hey…Yoru? Where's Ichigo?" She knew the answer, they all knew, but no one wanted to believe it. So when Yoruichi turned to her and threw her arms around her, Kukaku felt as if nothing could ever end her sorrow. Isshin had visited before going off to help in the war, and revealed to them that Ichigo was actually their cousin, and that once the war was over, they would all be together again as a family. She felt her heart soar at that revelation, and she had begun preparing to venture out herself to help. She looked around, and noticed Ganju was crying next to Chad, who had fallen to his knees and let his head fall into his hands. Renji had made his way over to Rukia and had taken the woman into his arms, both taking on a fair amount of the others grief. Orihime was passed out, and was being tended to by Ryuken, Uryu's father. Uryu himself had stepped forwards, his feet dragging through the dust, before stopping before the katana, tears falling from his eyes. He dropped to his knees, and he let all his emotions explode, screaming out a single name.

"ICHIGO!"

XX

He floated in the darkness. He was still consumed by the warm feeling of death. That was…until he landed on something. He landed with a meaty smack, and tumbled a long distance before finally coming to rest when he slammed his stomach into something. He felt his body erupt into intense pain, before being violently thrown off by whatever it was he landed on. He still couldn't see, but it was strange to him that he could feel. He shouldn't be able to feel anything. Let alone hear that monstrous roar which followed his decent.

XX

" **Forgive me, Kurosaki Ichigo. You would have survived, and lived a long life, if a Hero wasn't needed in this world. I truly hope, that the day we meet, you can forgive me. I shall return to you what you have lost. I will return to you…Zangetsu and Juha Bach, for you will need them both to survive. It is all I can do for you, Kurosaki Ichigo."** With that, the giant red Dragon roared, and opened a portal for Ichigo to fall through. The Dragon watched sadly as he fell through it, before closing it behind him and continuing the journey through the Dimension Gap.

XX

"Lord Michael!" A brunette with two pigtails skipped through Heaven, a smile on her face. She stopped before the house (A/N: I'm just gonna make up Heaven seeing as how I can't be bothered looking through the LN to find a description) that belonged to the Seraph Michael. The door opened unaided, and the girl stepped through, her eyes looking for her King, Michael. She found him sitting in a comfortable looking chair, engaging in conversation with a young Angel, who the girl recognised as Gabriel. Michael looked up from his conversation.

"Ah, Irina, thank you for making your way so swiftly. I have a task for you, I would like you to head down and assist Rias-san and Issei-kun. Azazel is personally assisting them, and I believe that we too should play a role. Since you are childhood friends with Issei-kun, being accepted shouldn't be too difficult. Will you do this for me, Irina?" The girl looked at him with wide eyes, and a huge smile on her face.

"Of course! Michael-sama! I am your a-" She was cut off when an immense amount of power bore down on Heaven, forcing many of the lower ranked Angels to acquaint their faces with the ground. Irina was one of those Angels, but she was luckily saved from such an embarrassing fate by Michael and Gabriel, who, even though they were moving freely, were feeling the strain of the crushing power. The door to the house burst open, and Raphael stormed in.

"Michael! What is going on! What is causing this?" The Leader of the Seraphs shook his head.

"I do not know, Brother, but I assure you, that it will pass. Probably just an experiment gone wrong in Sixth Heaven." As soon as he finished speaking, the power vanished as abruptly as it appeared. Thanking God, Irina stood on shaky legs, but she managed to stay upright. A shout from outside made all the occupants of the house bolt outside to see what the commotion was. They found and Angel pointing out into the distance of Seventh Heaven.

"Stop him before he falls further! Someone! Make haste!" Michael and Irina made to move, but they were beaten to the punch by Gabriel, who shot out from a standing start and hurtled towards the falling man at an alarming rate. Such was her speed that Raphael called out to her.

"Slow down, Gabriel!" Of course she didn't listen and continued at her current speed. She grimaced when she realised that she wouldn't be able to make it in time to stop him from crashing through to Sixth Heaven, so she brought her wings out and doubled her already ridiculous speed. She could feel the wind billowing her hair about, but cared little for it, her focus on saving the falling man. She reached him in no time, but her eyes widened when she was how wounded he was, and the hole in his chest didn't make things better. In all honesty, Gabriel thought that this man was already dead, but a faint pulse of power from him changed her mind.

She caught him just before he crashed into the barrier between the layers of Heaven, sending out a huge plume of smoke from their crash site. Worried, Michael, Raphael and Irina all made their way towards Gabriel, hoping that she was okay. Reaching her, Michael and Raphael both felt their hearts twist with pain at the sight of the young man. Irina on the other hand, turned away to relieve her stomach of her breakfast. Michael walked over to Gabriel, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sister, he is gone. We shou-" He was stopped by a shaking head. Gabriel looked up at Michael with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"He is not gone, Brother, he is alive. I felt a pulse of power from him before, and I can feel his breathing. He needs immediate medical attention, or else he really will die." Gabriel pulled the unknown man closer to her, hoping that by giving him some of her warmth, he would survive. Michael closed his eyes, his mind running at a thousand miles an hour. Raphael took over for the currently thinking Michael.

"Gabriel, the only thing that could possibly save him at this moment would be turning him into a Brave Saint. The thing is, is that we don't know him, or why he was suddenly falling through Heaven at such a tremendous speed. I believe that…Gabriel!" The shout of her name brought Michael back to reality, and what he saw certainly made him nervous. Gabriel was holding a playing card to the chest of the young man currently dying on her lap. With little effort, she pushed the card into his chest, and that is when everything went horribly wrong.

XX

His power exploded. Spectacularly. It was unlike anything they had ever seen. As soon as the card entered him, his 'power' skyrocketed, and easily surpassed what they felt before. Acting quickly, Michael spun and covered Irina, while Raphael snatched Gabriel from her position on the floor and shielded her with his own body, retracting his wings just in case. Once it seemed like the power had reached its limit, it broke through them and kept shooting up, higher and higher. It eventually evened out, and that was when he exploded.

XX

Ichigo felt…alive. But not only that, he felt a familiar power surge up from within him. He could feel them coming back. Zangetsu, and Juha. There was no way, there was absolutely no way for them to be there. But their voices in his head instantly threw the doubts he had out the window.

" **KING! Listen to Juha for now! Your power is raging because of something the lass did to ya! Being a Quincy, Juha has better control over your reiatsu than me! Take-over for now, Juha, I'll try to keep his body from tearing itself apart!"**

" _ **Zangetsu is correct, Ichigo. You need to listen to me, and you need to listen well. Whatever the young miss has done, it seems like the power she put into you is extremely compatible with your Quincy heritage. And, it seems like that power, has force activated you Volstandig, which is why your power is raging. You need to actualize the release, or you will burn up from the inside and die…again. I do not know it's name, only the names of those that have already been contained by their wielders. Now, Ichigo, do what you do best, and overcome the chains that fate has tied you down with. LIVE! FIGHT! PROTECT! Isn't that what you were put on this planet to do, ICHIGO!"**_ As soon as Juha finished speaking, Ichigo felt extremely uncomfortable with his current predicament. He was letting himself be consumed by power?

He was letting power get the better of him?

"How pathetic."

He didn't mean to speak out loud, but he did. And he understood why. It's because he really was pathetic. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to somewhat control a portion of the power he was releasing, and managed to do so successfully. Doing so afforded him time, time he sorely needed to figure out the name of his Quincy release.

But.

He already knew the name. Death. He was a God of Death. A Shinigami.

He remembered what that Quincy in Hueco Mundo called his own Volstandig. Biskiel. The name of an angel. And, who was the Angel associated with Death? Not Satan, or Lucifer. No. The Angel responsible for Death was an Angel he knew intimately.

"Quincy Volstandig: Azrael."

XX

Gabriel heard the name he spoke. So did Michael and Raphael. Azrael was supposed to be dead according to Michael. So how was this possible? This young man was wielding the power of Azrael, the Archangel of Death. They watched as he was engulfed by a blue pillar of power, one that rose high into the skies of Heaven. Worried about the level of the power being released, Michael pumped his own power into making a barrier around them, Raphael and Gabriel both having the same idea, and added their own monstrous power to maintaining the barrier. They watched in fascination as the pillar of power crumbled, and revealed the person within. His body was covered with a silver armour **(A/N: Google – Silver Knight Dark Souls – He looks like that minus the helmet)** that oozed both power and authority. On his back, he had sprouted 5 pairs of silver wings, but they could tell that his power rivalled, if not surpassed, their own. In his hand, he held the Hollow portion of Zangetsu, the black blade a stark contrast against his bright armour. They watched as he looked up at them, finally revealing his eyes to them, but they recoiled when they saw that his eyes…were empty. Not in the fact that he was dead, but in the fact that he was _blind_. He cocked his head to the side scanning the people before him, before he dropped to the floor. Using Zangetsu as a support, he managed to stay upright. He looked back up at them, a soft smile on his face. He didn't give them a chance to speak, and asked his question first.

"Which one of you is Gabriel?"

 _ **And there is that! The Joker of Death! What do you guys think? Unlike the other stories, this one will be following DxD canon from the meeting of the young devils, and Ichigo will take part in the fight against Loki. I know I will probably get lots of flames for making Ichigo blind, but his blindness will play a key role in making sure he doesn't fall.**_

 _ **Now, I hope you all enjoy this one as much as the others…and for some reason…when I was writing his death scene at the beginning, all that was playing on Spotify were songs that made me incredibly angsty…like seriously…it was the strangest thing…**_

 _ **Jermaine94, signing out for now! Like usual, please read and review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Well I'm thoroughly pissed off. I had written the entirety of Chapter 2 for this story…and the next 2 CHAPTERS of 'Substitute' and 'King of Hell'…and the rewrite of 'Memoirs'. THAT'S BASICALLY 7 CHAPTERS! 7! And my computer says very clearly… "I DON'T WANNA WORK PROPERLY! SO IMMA DELETE ALL YOUR WORK! K? COOL! BYE!" And bam…all my work…gone. Anyway…this is sorta a blessing in disguise as there have been many reviews for the first chapter that question my decision to make Ichigo blind. Let me say this._**

 ** _HIS BLINDNESS IS EXPLAINED! And because you couldn't WAIT…I changed the story slightly. Didn't want to…but hey…I'm getting messages saying:_**

 ** _"What the hell are you doing making Ichigo blind. Are you stupid?"_**

 ** _Well…they can go fuck themselves._**

 ** _There…rant over. Sorry folks. Had to do it. Now. Time to get to that icky corner that involves responding to comments and reviews. My body is ready. Bring it on._**

 ** _Review Corner!_**

 ** _Pandatone; Well, I'm glad you enjoy my writing. Here is the next chapter for you mate. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have fun!_**

 ** _Arya970: Well…hello there XD your picture made me do a double take XD Here is the next chapter!_**

 ** _Thomassmith69: His blindness is explained. I have a reason for most of the things I write. And I have a reason for this as well, just bear with me_**

 ** _Exanime Draco: Long review, but I appreciate it. There are a lot of things in your review which made me think that perhaps the deletion of the previous chapter was a good thing. I appreciate your review, and I thank you for your support. I made mistakes with the first chapter, but I blame the fact that I wasn't really in the right headspace for a while. I also appreciate the fact that instead of just spewing hate, you actually took the time to point out mistakes and ask (nicely) for corrections and explanations. So, I will personally PM you with further information._**

 ** _Dantrlan: Cool. If you don't like how I write, then go away. Have a pleasant morning/day/afternoon/night (Please choose the one that applies to you)_**

 ** _AvenZa: I've been wanting to write something new for a while, and thus decided that instead of going onto a completely new branch, I'd finish this 'Shinigami King' thingy I've been working on. And yeah, I realised AFTER I posted the chapter that I made a terrible mistake…I will either edit it, or just leave it. Thanks though for pointing it out._**

 ** _The Last Kenpachi: So far…I do too. Haha_**

 ** _Zeta710: It is fun, though I am probably gonna (try at least) to make this one a little heavier than the others…which are light-hearted and cheery._**

 ** _Poseidon93: Here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy this one too_**

 ** _Nolifeking222: Hopefully…I too hope it'll last…seriously_**

 ** _Guest: Cheers_**

 ** _FerunaLutelou: It's not a problem of falling, his blindness is a plot point, and perhaps…you'll just have to keep reading to find out haha_**

 ** _I can make up heaven as I see fit, since there isn't much to go on (the wiki give the levels)_**

 ** _The reason I made them compatible is because of all the Religious overviews the Quincy throw in readers faces. YHWH (from old Israeli religion – and in old Latin – it is meant to imply the name of God) and YWACH. Quilage Opie openly calls his Vollstandig Biskiel, which is a Theophory (which means adding the_** **el** ** _at the end of a name to imply might and power and godism)_**

 ** _Well…that was my view and my decision on the subject anyway_**

 ** _Darkxlunatiic: The blind thing is explained…haha, can you bear with me for a little? Thanks!_**

 ** _TheWolf88: Well, here you go_**

 ** _Czechus: It was an interesting concept, and apparently a very rare one at that_**

 ** _: I have a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why I haven't updated the others!_**

 ** _Lord of Insanity: Thanks mate! I hope I can keep you interested! That was a pretty difficult scene to write since I don't write drama…_**

 ** _Haljordan2008: The thing about these stories is that they have ZERO connection to each other, so him being depicted differently in each story is normal._**

 ** _His blindness is a plot point! Please, please bear with me for a little!_**

 ** _Naruto! Thanks for the review mate! You've got something on all my stories haha!_**

 ** _SJ: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter too_**

 ** _Utlima-owner: There is a reason, just…yeah…hold on and read this chapter? Cheers!_**

 ** _A10riddick: Mate, the enthusiasm is real with this one!_**

 ** _He can 'see' them like he did Ginjo in ep 356 of the Bleach Anime (Foe or Friend?! Ginjos Unseen Heart!)_**

 ** _Telling you that would be a spoiler_**

 ** _Tell you this would also be another spoiler!_**

 ** _(though both are revealed in this chapter…so get to reading!)_**

 ** _Ichigo Oga: Yeah man!_**

 ** _That is revealed in this chapter!_**

 ** _Shadowdragondanny: Nice username btw, and hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

 ** _Adam3565: That it does!_**

 ** _RobotDocter: All good! 'Sub' and 'Memoirs' are getting new chapters, and if you read my rant at the start, you would know where I am with those two haha… *cries in the corner*_**

 ** _Anurag22: *crying becomes more intense while pointing at the response above*_**

 ** _Cg037: Thanks mate!_**

 ** _DTRHeroes: Just you, haha, but I explain it here, so have fun!_**

 ** _Gtrain20: Cheers, and it was a very controversial thing to make him blind…does everyone love his chocolate brown eyes that much?_**

 ** _Fraxures: Killing Ichigo was fun…very fun…and Senna…I have no idea as to how I'm going to introduce her…seriously…not even kidding…I have 0 idea…I want her in this story…so I may (probably will) put up a poll as to HOW she will be introduced, but more importantly…WHAT she will be introduced as_**

 ** _All done! Seriously…that was scary…1 chapter and two pages worth of review replies haha 29 reviews…I think that it beats the other stories._**

 ** _'Sub' chapter 1 got 20 reviews_**

 ** _'King of Hell' chapter 1 got 14_**

 ** _Yup…beats them both…damn…that's a lot of reviews for chapter 1. Let's see if chapter 2 beats that. Here you go._**

 ** _Disclaimer! I own nothing apart from any and every OC I use…if the story has any OC to begin with haha_**

 ** _Chapter 2: Laughing Death_**

 ** _*snap*_**

"Please stop."

 ** _*snap snap*_**

"Please…please don't."

 ** _*SNAP SNAP SNAP*_**

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ichigo slammed his hand down on the table roughly, causing the person leaning over the table to click her fingers in his face to jump back slightly, her posture indicating that she was actually enjoying this a lot more than he was. She cocked her head to the side.

"Did you see that?" In any other situation, her actions would be considered extremely cute, but Ichigo, you see, currently couldn't 'see'. He sighed.

"For the hundredth time, no. I did not see anything. I can't even see you…yet. But don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean I can't find you." He turned his head and faced her directly, causing her to flinch slightly under his unseeing gaze. Michael, who had been watching the exchange with some amusement, frowned slightly when the stranger looked straight at his sister. It shouldn't have been possible. He looked at the stranger with intent, trying to find out what he was hiding. Hopefully his brothers would have a different opinion when Raphael returns with Uriel. Gabriel smirked slightly, and threw a cushion at Ichigo, who simply moved his head out of the way, allowing the pillow to fly past his head harmlessly. Gabriel made a noise that was in between a squeal and laughter when a pillow smacked harmlessly into her face.

As the pillow slid off her face, she gave Ichigo a half glare, before attempting to engage in an all out pillow fight, but was stopped by a knock at the door. As it opened, she quickly retreated back into her own chair, which was opposite the stranger in the room. She watched as her brothers Raphael and Uriel walked in, but was most surprised by the other three who accompanied them. One of them was Irina Shidou, but she was expected to accompany them as she was Michaels Ace. The other two, however, were…unexpected. Walking in behind Irina was Azazel and Baraqiel, both former Angels who had Fallen many years ago. They stood by the wall and gazed curiously at the orange haired stranger, Irina walking over to stand behind Michael.

Now that everyone was assembled, Gabriel turned to face the mysterious youth who had crashed their paradise.

"Excuse me, but now that everyone is here, we shall begin." He looked at her, his empty eyes watching her every move. Michael turned his head when Azazel walked over to stand behind him.

"Just like him. You know who I'm talking about." Michael could only nod. He motioned to his Fallen brother that Gabriel was about to continue.

"We shall begin with introductions. My name is Gabriel, but you already knew that. Behind me on my left are my older brothers Michael and Azazel. On my right, are my younger brothers Raphael and Baraqiel. Uriel, the one next to Raphael, is only slightly younger than Michael but older than Azazel. The young lady behind Michael is Irina. She is important to this conversation as she is basically what you have become." She motioned to each man behind her as she spoke, and Ichigo found himself liking the sound of her voice. It was soft, but not enough that you had to strain to hear, and it gave her a regaler and more majestic aura. He nodded in each direction that she motioned in, directly at the people she was talking about. Irina gasped when she saw his eyes, and it seemed to click in her head that he was blind. Michael could feel the sadness coming from the girl behind him. He turned to her, and quietly whispered to her.

"Irina, I think it best if you go see Issei-kun. He is currently at the new Devil meeting in the Underworld. I have asked that a message be sent to Sirzechs to announce your arrival. I shall be along shortly, as there as some things that I want to confirm." He gave her a smile, and gently ushered her from the room. Once the door closed behind her, he turned his full attention back to the orange headed stranger, who was in the middle of answering the question about who he was, and what he was.

"So you see, that means that I am a hybrid of all three races. Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy." He finished his explanation, and gave Gabriel a nod. She put a finger to her chin and thought of another question. She dropped her right fist into her left hand.

"So, Kurosaki-san." Ichigo held his hand up, his head shaking slightly.

"No need for honorifics. Just Ichigo is fine. It's a thing about my family, they too have never really cared about honorifics. Sometimes I make the joke that that is the reason they got thrown out." He laughed gently to himself, but Gabriel could feel the sadness coming from him when he mentioned his family.

"You miss them, don't you?" He looked up at her.

"Of course I do. Even though I got to say goodbye, it still shouldn't have happened. I should have been paying more attention to Ywach, and seen that final attack that left that hole in my chest." He noticed two of the Angels in the room stiffen slightly at the mention of Ywach, so he pressed a little.

"He wanted to destroy all the dimensions I told you about. He almost succeeded at that. If I hadn't stepped up, alongside Sosuke and Renji, then we would have lost. He had usurped the throne of the Soul King, and was well on his way to make every dimension collide. It would have, as he said, removed the concept of fear. But it's fear that makes us strong, fear is what gives us hope, and it is in the face of fear that humans find courage." He nodded after finishing his own statement. It was then that the second Angel, Uriel if he remembered, spoke up.

"Ywach was a madman in this dimension. He fought alongside the Old Maou Faction in the Devil Civil War, and his power was comparable to that of Serafall Leviathan and Falbium Asmodeus. He could probably take us on with ease. And you're saying that he was much more powerful than the man you called Sou-Taicho? This…Yamamoto…who by your account, was about as powerful as Sirzechs, and Azazel here?" Ichigo nodded.

"The man was a fossil, literally, at about 1500 years old, but he was strong enough to frighten almost every Captain. He certainly scared me." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. He then became serious, his eyes momentarily flashing gold and black. "You said that you had a Ywach in this dimension. So you believe my story of death and dimension hopping?" It was the man next to the one he had deemed to be Michael, Azazel if he remembered correctly, who stepped forwards and spoke up.

"Correct. The giant thing you said you landed on that was apparently not on the ground, and that roared, was probably Great Red. A giant Dragon made up of power, with power thrown on as a condiment. He is also called the Dragon of Dreams, and he resides on the Dimension Gap, a space that exists outside the world. It is possible, that because of your death, Great Red saw need of you, so he brought your crumbling spirit over to this world, reformed you, and sent you to us. I highly believe that that is the case." Ichigo gave the man a quick once over, but was slightly shocked when Gabriel was once again in his face.

"Can I ask you something? Are you really…a Hero?" Ichigo turned back to face her, his eyes, as empty as they were, displaying all his emotions.

"I believe I was. I fought for others, and my strength comes from my desire to protect. It happens to be my name after all." Gabriel nodded.

"Yes, 'He who protects'. A fitting name for you, since you fought in wars that were not your own, for people who were not yours, for a future you could never be a part of. A true Hero indeed." Ichigo gave her a smile, and Gabriel felt her heart skip a beat at the sight.

"Yeah, you know, you're the first person who actually got the correct meaning of my name." He leaned back in his chair. Michael stepped forwards now.

"Excuse me, Ichigo. I have a question for you, now that your background has been given, and Azazel here has verified it." Ichigo nodded. "How is it that you can see us? I understand that you lost your sight?" Ichigo shuffled nervously in his seat.

"Well, it's not like I can 'see' you, per say. More like, I can see your soul, and using that, I am forming an outline of you. I can see features, like height, and movement, but I can't see features, like faces and colour. Only the one physical shape." He stopped for a second, before looking around.

Everyone was frozen. The thing he just said, was exactly what _he_ could do. The one who, when he died, signalled the need for the Brave Saint system. And if what they heard was true, then it seemed like this young man possessed a similar ability to 'see' the worth of souls, like he could. Gabriel whispered under her breath.

"Just. Like. Azrael." She smiled to herself, and Ichigo brought their attention back to himself, but not in a normal way, but instead with a shout of pain, his hands shooting up to his face. He dropped to his knees, before falling down to his side, writhing on the floor in pain. Gabriel was down by his side in an instant. She used her considerable strength to hold him down, but had to quickly seek the assistance of the others in the room when he was about to overpower her. Even with all of them there, holding him down was no easy feat, but they managed to hold onto him until he calmed down. Panting for breath, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, and looked around the room. When his eyes fell on the gathered Angels, some retreated in shock, because one of his eyes was black with a golden iris, and it felt full of evil.

"Tch, it seems like only one eye it is then." He clicked his tongue and sighed. He grabbed onto the corner of the table and pulled himself up and back into his chair. He crossed his arms and bowed his head in thought, and fell quiet. Gabriel sidled over to his side, but jumped back in fright when he spun quickly and shouted at the two swords that were currently lying forgotten on the bench behind them.

"OY! I NEVER ASKED YOU TO FIX MY EYES! DON'T SAY YOU DID IT FOR ME! AND YOU! OH YOU GLORIFIED PIDGEON! YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED THE ALBINO FROM DOING THAT! NOW I LOOK LIKE I'M CRAZY!" He stood and stormed over to the swords and proceeded to punch them. Repeatedly. The sound of their pain was music to his ear.

Everyone else, on the other hand, looked at him if he were crazy. Gabriel sighed and walked over to him. She gently tapped him on the shoulder, hearing a low growl coming from him. He snatched up the two swords and threw them out the closest window. Everyone now knew he was crazy. Raphael decided to voice his concerns.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU JUST THREW TWO SWORDS OUT THE WINDOW!" He ran over and looked out the window, and instead of seeing the two blades falling further and further away, he saw them floating just below the ledge, and they seemed to be vibrating.

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine. They have minds of the their own." Raphael looked back at Ichigo, who was now sitting with his arms crossed. It was at this point that he noticed (along with everyone else) that his eye had changed colour yet again. Instead of being black on gold, it was now…normal. A normal brown eye looked back at them. Sighing, he ripped off a piece of his pants (since that seemed to be the longest thing he was wearing) and tied it around his head, much like how Kenpachi used to wear his eye patch when they first met. With his eye now covered, he snapped his fingers, and the two blades outside tore through the wall and landed right in his open hands. Sighing once again, he placed them gently back on the bench he originally placed them on. His head snapped up, and he looked at the door. Frowning, everyone followed his line of sight and stared intently at the door.

It didn't take long for the door to burst open, and a distraught looking girl stormed in, apologies already coming from her mouth.

"Please forgive this interruption. I was getting ready to leave for the Underworld when I received a message from Xenovia. Apparently, the Norse God Loki has joined Khaos Brigade and has attacked the meeting! He has released Fenrir and Midgardosrmr! Please do something!" She threw herself at Michael, and Ichigo saw the concern in his eyes.

Personally, he wanted to go down and tear the people who were threatening this girls friends to shred, but something was holding him back. It wasn't strong, but it was a slight sense in the back of his head. Gabriel turned to him.

"Ichigo, there is no need to hold yourself back. If you wish to go, then go. I will be along shortly, as I will need to take care of things here." He looked at her, his eye boring into her own.

"I'm not holding back. Something is holding me back." Gabriel frowned. She stood and walked over to him and placed her forehead against his, his cheeks flushing. Gabriel giggled at his reaction. Her expression changed back into a frown quickly.

"Seems like the Joker Card has malfunctioned." Everyone turned to face her, looks of incredulity on their faces. Michael took a step forwards, Irina still in his arms.

"What do you mean, Sister? How has the card malfunctioned?" She closed her eyes, but it was Azazel who responded.

"What I think she means is that our new friends own powers were too great for the Card to handle, and have 'mutated' the card. Considering that Azrael's powers are akin to death, and he was turned into an Angel, meaning that the Brave Saint system wouldn't work for him, thus the Card had to adapt to his powers, and did so in a similar fashion to that of a Mutation Piece from the Devils Evil Piece System." He casually walked over and placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder, his own Angelic (although Fallen) powers pulsing out slightly. "I helped develop the Brave Saint System after Azrael vanished. I can check this card for you. Hold on." He concentrated on the Card within Ichigo, and sighed when he reached a conclusion.

Curious, Ichigo looked up at him. "So, what's wrong?" Azazel let out an even bigger sigh.

"Well, I was half right, your Card has mutated, but it mutated wrong. It seems as if your own power tried to consume the Card, which would have given you all the benefits of being a full-fledged Angel, without being tied to a King." He looked up and saw Ichigo picking up the long hollowed out Khyber knife and paled when he proceeded to throw it out the window again.

In his head, Ichigo heard Zangetsu scream in fear. "Serves you right!" He huffed and turned back to face everyone. "Sorry about that. He deserved it." All he got were dumb nods in response. Clearing her throat, Gabriel turned to Azazel.

"So what do we do now, Brother?" Azazel laughed and turned to her.

"I can't really be called your Brother cause I'm Fallen, but thanks for the sentiment, Sister. Well, I sealed away what was left of the Cards influence. He's still your Joker, and will always be, even if the Card is eventually devoured. The only difference is the amount of wings he's going to have. Normal Brave Saints average around 1 or 2 pairs. I don't know how many he's going to have. First of all, we are going to need to see how many he has now. Look, concentrate power on your back. But don't just bunch it there, imagine it flowing out of your back like wings." Nodding, Ichigo did as instructed, closing his eye and pulsing power to his back, and letting it flow out in the shape of wings, in his mind at least. He heard a ruffle of feather and a weight appeared on his back, and a gasp was heard. His eyes snapped open and he looked behind him and was literally floored by what he saw.

5 pairs of _grey_ wings had sprouted from his back, and even though they were darker than the rest of theirs, they still held all the grace, glory and magnificence that Angelic wings were supposed to have. His position on the floor allowed him to fold his wings up, easily understanding how they were supposed to work, his power still flowing through them quite easily. He gave them a long look, before asking absently.

"Are they supposed to be this colour? Or not?" Gabriel walked forwards and took one of his wings in her hands.

"No, our wings are white, while Brother Michaels are gold. Brothers Azazel and Baraqiel have black because they are Fallen. No one has ever had grey." She looked at Azazel, who was staring intently at the wings. "Any idea, Brother?"

"Yeah. I have only one guess. And I'm sure that it's 100% right. This means he can't fall. He can indulge all he wants in sin and carnal desire, but he will NEVER Fall. Even taking life won't result in Falling because he basically is the Angel of Death. That's my theory for now, I believe that we should get moving to assist the Devils in dealing with Loki." He motioned towards the door, and Ichigo nodded from his floored position, vanishing in a blur and appearing next to Azazel, who took a reactionary step back at the sheer speed he demonstrated. He looked back at them.

"Where are we going? And what's the fastest way to get there?" His visible eye burned with resolve, and Gabriel smiled.

"You can stand right there and wait 2 seconds." He stumbled and looked at her. Azazel laughed and walked up besides him, Irina in tow.

"Let us be off then? Hold still, oh Joker of Death." Ichigo frowned.

"Don't call me th-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as a magic circle appeared beneath them, taking them to the Underworld.

…

Ichigo was pissed. He was thankful. But more pissed than thankful. He glared at the man next to him before ducking behind the nearest form of cover to relieve himself of whatever there was in his stomach. Azazel just laughed, before he was rapped across the back of the head by an irate Irina.

"Azazel-sensei! That was mean! Don't do that again!" She glared at him, and the Fallen Angel Governor General just waved her off.

"He should have been prepared! Not my fault." He took two steps before a foot was planted in his ass, and he slammed head-first into the boulder in front of him, smashing the thing to pieces. Now it was Azazel's turn to glare at Ichigo.

"You should have been prepared. Not my fault." Irina burst out laughing before, and Ichigo smirked coldly. Azazel just lay there with a dumb look on his face, before he too soon laughed.

"Not bad! We can get along it seems." He saw Ichigo extend a hand, and took it to help himself up.

"So it seems. But stay away from Gabriel. I've seen the way you look at her, and something tells me you tried to take a peek while she was changing or something. I bet that's why you fell as well." Azazel laughed.

"Close. It's why I fell, but it wasn't my Sisters fault. It was mine and mine alone." Ichigo got a look from that man that basically said 'I'll tell you later, away from the children' and he nodded. He looked over at Irina, and realised that he hadn't introduced himself to the young girl.

"Hey, kid. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, Joker of Gabriel." He gave her a kind smile when she turned towards him. She returned it with haste.

"Irina Shidou, Ace of Michael." His eyebrows rose.

"Ace huh? Not bad. From what I gather, the King, Queen, Jack and Joker are the strongest, followed by the Ace." She nodded.

"Seems like you got it right, although the Joker Card can eventually be the strongest in the deck, since they are generally used for people who surpass the limitations set by the Queen and Jack cards. Being a Joker means that you are insanely strong, right?" Ichigo laughed and rubbed the back of his head. Before he could answer, Azazel cut in.

"Irina-chan. Ichigo here, if he were to release his full power, would easily rank amongst the Top 10. I bet he could even take the place of Crom Cruach*, who falls in at No. 6. Don't worry, he can control his powers from going out of control." He gave Ichigo a thumbs up, and Ichigo gave him a one fingered salute. They both looked at each other then began laughing. Irina, though, was freaking out.

 _'TOP 10! HE CAN DEFEAT THE EVIL DRAGON CROM CRUACH! HE'S JOKING RIGHT!? RIGHT!?'_ She did a magnificent job at keeping her poker face. Ichigo saw the bead of sweat that did roll down her face out of the corner of his one working eye. He turned to face her.

"Which way to your friends?" She gulped and nodded, before looking around and seeing flashing lights to the west, far on the horizon.

"That way, we have to move fast though, I fear for them." She let her wings out and took to the sky, Azazel following behind her. They both flew at high speed, Azazel slowing down to let Irina keep up with him. It took about two seconds for Ichigo to catch up, and as he overtook them, they noticed he didn't have his wings out.

"Oy Ichigo! Your wings!" He gave him a glance.

"I'm slower with them out. Watch." He dropped down to fall in between them, wrapped an arm around Irina's waist, making her 'eep' and blush, and placed a hand on Azazel's shoulder, and he launched himself into shunpo.

Both Angel and Fallen Angel had the pleasure of seeing the world blur by at dizzying speeds. It wasn't that he was moving fast along the ground. It was as if the ground was moving so it could be under his feet when he stopped. Never had they felt such speeds, not even a knight reach these speeds! Abruptly, they stopped, and it was their turn to relieve their stomachs of that mornings breakfast.

"Suck it up. I'll go ahead and deal with that…snake thing…then the giant…wolf? Whatever. I'm done. I'll just go fight." He let his wings out this time and spread them, dust being thrown in the air, and a violent gust almost blowing them over. Azazel whistled.

"He's almost at the level of a Seraph. Let him control this new power and he most definitely will be at Michaels level." Irina coughed when she saw his wings again.

 _'Only just did he become a Brave Saint and he already has 5 pairs of wings. How far will you go, Kurosaki-san?'_ She shook her head, and saw her friends engaging Fenrir. Azazel watched over the fight carefully, only deciding to step in if things got real bad for one of his students. Irina took off and launched a chakram at Fenrir as it was about to step on poor Kiba-kun. She got a smile and 'thanks' from the Knight of Rias Gremory. They watched as Fenrir shook the dazed expression away before he launched himself back at them with renewed vigor.

…

"Hi there, need a hand?" Akeno spun at the new voice that suddenly appeared behind her. She was currently keeping Midgardosrmr occupied as best as she could. There wasn't much she could do but fly around and unleash bolt after bolt at the beast. She didn't even sense this person appear behind her.

Looking back, she saw a tall, orange haired man with a crudely made eyepatch over his left eye. He was wearing what looked like a shihakushou, and he had a large, hollowed Khyber knife in his right hand, and a trench knife in his left. What shocked her the most, though, were the 5 pairs of _grey_ wings that were stretching out behind him. She carefully assessed him, and decided that if they weren't in the middle of a fight, she would have mounted him in a heartbeat. _'Oh, wait, if I did that, he would fall. Shame. But that colour of his wings seems strange, it's like the feathers were in the process of falling, but stopped, leaving him half Angel, half Fallen. Interesting. I'd like to see what Azazel-sensei thinks of this.'_ Shaking the thoughts from her head, she turned back to face the giant dragon she was taking on. She realised that it hadn't attacked at all while she was talking to the stranger.

"Ha, seems like it, Zangetsu."

 _'Huh? 'Slaying Moon'? Who is that?'_

"Getsuga…Tensho."

Akeno was glad that she was a Devil/Fallen Angel Hybrid. Because the resulting explosion of _pure, violent_ and _vicious_ power that came from the orange haired _GOD_ …excited her in more ways than one. She was certain that, if she was an Angel…she would fall just by being around him.

…

Issei was just about to reach the hammer when he felt it.

Pain.

Burning. Sharp. Stinging.

He had never felt anything like it. Not even when Raynare stabbed him through the stomach. Admittedly, she had stabbed him once. This was different. It was all over his body. He felt himself being thrown around and the pain dig deeper into his body. He felt himself going faint.

"ISSEI!"

The shout of his name brought his senses back. Who called for him? Who was it?

"ISSEI-KUN!"

"ISSEI-SENPAI!"

"ISSEI-SAN!"

Who are they? Why are they calling for me? What do they want? He felt his body getting cold. A loud crash jolted him awake. He didn't feel as the teeth were ripped out of him, or when he was thrown violently against the wall. Or when Rias picked him up, or when she tried to stop the blood from leaving his body. He felt nothing but coldness. He could hear her voice though, to him, it was barely a whisper.

"Issei. Oh Issei. Please, stay awake. Don't close your eyes. Issei, please. Issei." He didn't see Akeno land close to them, as the only thing that filled his vision was the giant hammer that was embedded into the mountain that, ironically, he was thrown into. He forced his hand up.

"Ham…mer. Ham…mer!" With one final lunge, he reached out as far as he could, before the darkness overtook him.

"ISSEI!"

He never heard her scream his name.

"Chill out for sec, okay? Let me try something."

…

"Where…am I?" He looked around, the entire landscape burning with wicked flames.

 **[Aibo. Seems like…it's time to move on. You…can't be brought back this time. I'm sorry. There is nothing that I can do either.]** He heard the voice of his partner, his friend.

Ddraig. The Welsh Dragon. He let out a tired sigh, before comically exploding into tears.

"WHY?! I HAVEN'T ACHIEVED MY DREAM! I HAVENT MARRIED RIAS! I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD SEX! WHYYYYY?!" He fell to his knees and punched the floor repeatedly.

 **[Aibo! Calm down! Isn't it strange though? I should already be vanishing. You should be fading away too. We are being kept alive. How? I don't know.]** Issei looked up at the Dragon that resided in his soul.

"Seriously? We aren't going to die?" He looked hopeful. Perhaps, there was a God after all. Maybe his death was a lie?

"Nope. That really happened." Both Dragon and Wielder spun to face the new voice, and were surprised to find an Angel. With orange hair. And one eye.

 **[Who are you? And how did you get in here? This is Aibo's soul. Getting in should have been impossible.]** The Dragon lent in dangerously, making the Angel chuckle.

"Chill! I can get in here because I got a similar place in me. I just had to resonate with the kid. It was traumatising, to say the least. Thankfully, I am incapable of Falling, so that saved your ass kid." The Angel looked at Issei, who looked confused. It was Ddraig who spoke up.

 **[Incapable of falling? Able to enter ones soul? Are you…Azrael? The Angel of Death?]** The Angel chuckled once again.

"Nope, the names Kurosaki Ichigo. I have the same job as Azrael though. Oy kid! Do you want to live?" Issei nodded, the resolve to live his life to the fullest burning strongly in his eyes.

"Of course! There are so many things I want to do!" Ichigo laughed.

"Right on! Alrighty, here is what we are going to do. I'm going to heal you. It'll feel super weird. But, of course, I have to charge a price." Issei paled, while Ddraig watched on. "Your libido. My price is your libido. I don't want it, but you have to tone it down. Seriously kid. If you entered Heaven, Angels will Fall just by being in your presence." Issei looked mortified.

"You…want me…to stop? But…my dream…" Ichigo raised his hands.

"Woah there! Look, I don't want you to stop. I want you to calm down. Keep your dreams, your aspirations. Just…don't be so vocal. Alright?" Issei looked like a dear in headlights. He could keep his dreams? And all he had to do was quieten down? Easy! He nodded his head vigorously, and Ichigo laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Right. Good choice. A few pointers before I go. First, grit your teeth. Second, don't scream. Third, pick up that giant hammer. Fourth, kick Loki's ass. Got it?" Issei stood and nodded, the fire once again burning in his eyes. "Good man. Now, let's get going." Taking a deep breath, Ichigo closed is eye and slowly opened it, revealing his eye had changed from a normal looking eye to his hollow eye. Issei gasped, but held his ground. Smirking, Ichigo released his power.

"Remember. You owe me kid."

"It's not kid. It's Hyodou Issei."

…

Loki was loving the situation. The Gremory bitch was going to blow up not only herself, but everyone in the vicinity as well! His day couldn't get any better. He laughed out loud, mirth building up in his eyes. He stared down at the scene, having taken his eyes off the pitiful ants below him to indulge his laughter. He stopped laughing when Hyodou Issei stood up, smoke rising from his body, and his face contorted in pain. Though he didn't scream. He planted his feet and soldiered through the pain. The smoke vanished and revealed his healed body, and the relief on his face was infuriating. He began to gather his power when Fenrir charged past him. He smirked. Fenrir killed the Dragon boy once, he could do it again.

"Not so fast."

He watched with mouth agape as Fenrir was violently thrown back past him, and crashed heavily into a mountain. His head whipped around when he heard a whimper of pain.

"You…actually…injured Fenrir? Impossible! Midgardsormr! Come!" The Dragon appeared by his side, and glared at the assembled group. It was at that moment that one man stepped forwards.

"Issei. You handle Loki. I'll take on those two. Everyone else, you can take a breather. We've got this." He then extended his 12 wings.

Wait.

12?

He spun to look at his wings and counted them. Yup, there were 12. He had ranked up…again. He looked at the closest Angel, Irina, who merely shrugged. He frowned, and tried to figure out the reason when Juha spoke up from within his soul.

 **'Ichigo. When you travelled into that boy's soul, you used the Angelic power afforded to you by the Brave Saint System. It seems like, when you used that power, the Joker Card within you 'fixed' itself, due to massive influx of Angelic power. I regret to inform you, however, that your Angel powers and your Quincy powers, are no longer compatible, since your Angel powers are corrupted by 'Sin'. It was that distinction that made the 'repair' possible.'**

Making an 'ah' face, Ichigo smiled. Now that his powers were basically complete, he was basically at his base forms max. His full power would be crazy. _'It really would be Top 10 material, as Azazel said. Go me…more power than I can actually use safely…wooo…'_ He sighed and turned back to face the Dragon by Loki's side.

"Oh! It's you! I thought I killed you! Obviously not. I guess…another Getsuga it is." He vanished in a blur. Loki and the Dragon looked everywhere, but when they heard him speak from above, Loki activated a magic circle and teleported away, only to come face to face with Issei a short distance, who proceeded to slam him into the ground with a giant hammer.

Ichigo on the other hand, had drawn a thin line across the space in front of him. "Getsuga…" Loki then vanished, and was taken care of by Issei.

"…Tensho." He released his attack, and the resulting explosion could be seen from New Lilith. The dragon didn't stand a chance. It was torn apart and blown up at the same time. Everyone watching was almost thrown away by the shockwave.

Rias barely held her skirt down as the wind whipped around them. Once it died down, she looked around and found herself looking at a slightly comical scene. Issei and Koneko had been buried into the mountain behind them. Loki was there too, but unlike Issei and Koneko, who could be clearly seen, all you could see of the God of Mischief was an arm and a leg. Xenovia was lying in a compromising position with Irina, whose Halo was fluttering around her head. Kiba had managed to save himself by hiding with Sona's peerage behind a boulder, that was slowly crumbling to pieces. He was now trying to pull Issei out of the mountain. She laughed at them. Then she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face Akeno, who had remained standing the entire time.

"Akeno? Are you okay?" She saw her 'Queens' half lidded eyes and instantly feared the worst.

"Buchou."

"Yes, Akeno?"

"I'm in love."

 ** _Well! There is the second chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed this one!_**

 ** _As usual, R &R! _**

**_Hi-oh Silver…AWAY! *gallops off into the sunset*_**


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